Apparatus for hard surfacing blast furnace bells and hoppers



Dec. 11, 1951 H, J'ANECEK 2,578,248

APPARATUS FOR HARD SURFACING BLAST FURNACE BELLS AND" HOPPERS 2 SHEETS-SHEET l v Filed Dec. 6, 1947 INVENTOR.

J T TORZW? Y3.

FRANK HJANECEK.

H. JANECEK 2,578,248

Dec. 11, 1951 APPARATUS FOR HARD SURFACING BLAST FURNACE BELLS AND HOPPERS 2 SHEETS--SHEEIT 2 Filed' Dec. 6, 1947 TIL- FRANK ATTURNEYS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1951 APPARATUS FOR HARD SURFACING BLAST FURNACE BELLS AND HOPPERS Frank H. Janecek, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of New Jersey Application December 6, 1947, Serial No. 790,169

7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to the metal working art and is more particularly concerned with a novel method and novel apparatus for producing hard surfaces on blast furnace bells and hoppers and similar heavy and bulky parts which must withstand wearing contacts for long periods.

Articles such as blast furnace bells and hoppers, in accordance with a recent invention, may be provided with rings, bands, or surfaces of hard wear-resistant metal to prolong their useful life and assure their repeated and effective sealing engagement. There has, however, been considerable difficulty heretofore in actually applying these metal rings, etc., to these heavy and bulky parts. Not only was it difficult to mount the articles so that the hard-surface metal could be applied thereto, but it was extremely difficult to move or handle either the articles or the molten metal applicators to produce uniform deposits of the hard-surface metal on the articles. The bells and hoppers are, of course, too large to support or manipulate by hand, and while the molten metal applicators might be moved around the articles and operated by hand, the size of the articles again made this an extremely dimcult operation if deposits of uniform thickness and weight were to be obtained.

The present invention enables wear surfaces of Stellite or the like to be applied orformed on blast furnace bells and hoppers and other similar heavy and bulky articles in a manner which is rapid, efiicient, safe and economical. The present apparatus not only serves to support firmly and maintain in position the article to be treated in accordance with my aforementioned invention, but includes means for causing the articles to rotate at a desired uniform rate while the molten metal is being deposited thereon.

Furthermore my apparatus incorporates means for heating the periphery of the bell or hopper as the article is being rotated preparatory to and during the application of molten metal to its surface.

Those skilled in the art will gain a further understanding of my invention by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which t Figure l is a plan view of one form of apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the apparatus of Fig. 1 carrying a bell and showing how Stellite is deposited on the surface of the bell in accordance with this invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view partly in section similar to Fig. 2 except that a. blast furnace hopper is disposed in place of the bell, and the equipment for heating and depositing the Stellite is modified accordingly; and

Figure 4 is an end elevational view taken on line t-l of Fig. 3 showing the device of Fig. 1 carrying a hopper to be hard surfaced in accordance with this invention.

Broadly speaking, the apparatus of my invention comprises a supporting frame for articles such as bells B and hoppers H to be hard surfaced, means for rotating an article on the frame, and means for depositing molten metal on the articles as they are rotated on the frame. The apparatus preferably also includes means for heating the articles on the side opposite the place where the molten metal is to be deposited.

The apparatus herein illustrated comprises a generally rectangular supporting frame ill which is made up of a plurality of I-beams ll welded together at their junctions, a pair of cylindrical idling rollers l2 journalled in brackets l3 secured to the frame at two adjacent corners thereof, and a pair of driving rollers M journalled in platforms It and H secured to the other two cornersto support the bell and hopper rotating mechanism. Driving rollers M are disposed with their axes substantially parallel and virtually in alignment in each case with the axis of opposing roller l2, and are each provided with end portions having gear teeth for operative engagement with driving mechanism 28 and two annular grooves l8 and E9 of different shape. Groove it is formed to receive the lower edge of a bell B and groove is is formed to receive the flange at the upper end of a hopper H. A removable pedestal 2d completes the frame and is located between rollers l2 on what will hereinafter be referred to as the rear side of the frame, and carries a bearing 2i and a pin 22 rotatable therein to be received in a recess at the bell vertex to assist in Supporting the bell, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The driving or rotating means includes an electrlc motor 25 connected to a source of electric power (not shown), a reduction gear 25 operatively connected to the motor, and a drive shaft 21 connected to the reduction gear and carrying bevel gears 28, all suitably of conventional design and construction. Gears 28, as illustrated in Fig. 1, engage the bevel gears at the ends of rollers 14 so that the rollers and the article carried by frame Ill may be rotatively driven by motor 25.

The molten metal depositing means for both bell B and hopper H comprises an automatic 3 wsldinghead 51 of conventional construction, and welding rod of Stellite or the like carried by a reel 38 andautomatically fed by the head 31 and fused to the desired. surfaces of the bell or hopper. The reel and head are supported by a carriage including a frame 40 and wheels 4! carrying the frame on rails 43 provided for the purpose. Since the metal deposits'are made on the outside of the lower or open end of bell B. the assembly including the automatic -welding head is suspended from anoverhead supporting means, as shown in Fig. 2, the welding head being disposed adjacent to the surface of the bell where themetal deposits are to be made. Molten metil deposits in the hopper are usually on the inside and at the lower end of the hopper and the welding head assembly carriage is therefore supported on the rails extending along the rear side of frame It.

The heating means for the parts to be treated vincludes a circular header or manifold 45 made up of four quarter-sections having blind flanges '41 boltedtogether. Four pipes 48 communicating with a source of liquid or gaseous fuel (not shown) and equipped with valves 49 to regulate the flow of fuel through the pipes, supply fuel to the separate sections of the header and to burner nozzles 50 in header 45. The burner nozzles are preferably drilled holes equally spaced around the header and directed toward the portion of the hell or hopper to be heated. Thus in the case of a relatively large diameterheader for use with a hopper (Fig. 3), the nozzles are more numerous than in the smaller diameter bell header (Fig. 2) and a: directed inwardly rather than outwardly as in 1 1e latter case. Where the header surrounds the part to be heated, as shown in 3, a heat retaining shroud 52 is provided, comprising an annular metal body of generally U-shape in transverse cross-section provided with a stack 54 for removing combustion gases from the shroud. The shroud 52 encloses header 45 and fits closely around the outer surface of hopper H. Where header 45 is situated within the part to besheated, as shown in Fig. 2, the heat retaining means comprises a baiile plaw 55 which substantially closes the mouth of bell B and is fitted with a stack 56 for removing combustion gases from within the bell.

In using this device to apply Stellite, for instance, to the lower outside portion of bell B, pedestal is bolted to frame It, the bell is mounted on the frame and pin 22 is inserted in the recess at the apex of the bell while the lower end of the bell is disposed in grooves l8 of rollers l4. Welding head 31 is disposed in position adjacent to the outer surface of bell B which is to receive the Stellite, manifold 45 is moved into position within the bell, and baille 55 is disposed across the mouth of the bell. Motor then is started and bell rotation is begun. Deposition of molten stellite by welding head 31 is begun when I the bell is suitably heated or otherwise prepared and is discontinued when bands or rings of the desired weight and uniformity have been formed on the bell.

Applying the present apparatus to a hopper involves removal of pedestal 20 from the frame. placing the hopper on the frame with the upper flange of the hopper in recesses IQ of rollers l4 and with the lower end of the hopper engaged with rollers 12, and positioning welding head 31, header and heat retaining shroud 52, as shown in Fig. 3. Again, when the hopper has been suitably prepared welding is started. and molten screens 4 metal is deposited on the surface within the lower end of the hopper.

Preferably prior to the application of molten metal to the articles, gaseous or liquid fuel is 5 turned into header 4i and ignited at nozzles so that the articles may be preheated to the desirable temperature in their peripheral portions which are to receive the metal deposits. This heating may be continued through the deposition period, or may be intermittent, but is preferably continued after welding has been completed so that the metal depomted on the article may be as uniform as possible and any strains relieved which may have been set up during the welding operation.

Having thus described my invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined by what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for heating portions of massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on the frame means, means including a heating element to deliver heat to a portion of the article, and heat-shield means to cooperate with the article substantially to enclose the heating element and concentrate on a portion of the article heat released by said heating element, said heat-shield means comprising an annular body open on one side to face the said article and defining an annular space, and a stack communicating with the interior of said body and extending upwardly from the body to vent hot gases therefrom.

2. Apparatus for heating portions of massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on the frame means, means including a burner nozzle for supporting a flame to heat a portion of the article, and heat-shield means to surround and cooperate with part of the article substantially to enclose the nozzle and concentrate on a portion of the article heat of flame burning at said nozzle, said heat-shield means comprising an annular, channel-shaped, in- 50 wardly-facing body, and a stack communicating with the interior of said body and extending upwardly from the body to carry off and vent combustion gases.

3. Apparatus for heating portions of a blast furnace bell comprising frame means for supporting the bell, means for rotating the bell in position on the frame means, means including a burner nozzle for supporting a flame to heat a portion of the inside surface of said bell, and s0 heat-shield means to close substantially the open end of the bell, said heat-shield means comprising a disc-like body having a peripheral flange to extend toward the inner wall of the bell, and a stack communicating with the interior of said body and extending upwardly from the body to vent combustion gases from the bell.

4. Apparatus for heating portions of massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or.

hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on said frame means, means including a heating element to deliver heat to an annular portion of the article, and heat shield means to cooperate with the article substantially to enclose said heating element and concentrate on the said annular portion of the article heat delivered by said element.

5. Apparatus for heating portions of massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on said frame means, means including a heating element having an annular portion to deliver heat to an annular portion of the article, and heat shield means to cooperate with the article substantially to enclose said annular portion of the heating element and concentrate on the said annular portion of the article heat delivered by said element, said heat shield means comprising a metal shell and a stack communicating with the interior of said shell and extending upwardly therefrom to carry off and vent hot gases from the shell.

6. Apparatus for producing hard surfaces on massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on the frame means,

means including a welding head for depositing molten metal on one side of the article as it is rotated, means including a heating element to deliver heat simultaneously to the other side of the article in the zone to receive said molten metal to bring that zone of the article to an elevated temperature and thereby facilitate bonding weld metal to the article, and heat shield means to cooperate with the article substantially to enclose the heating element and concentrate on a portion of the article heat released by said heating element, said heat shield means comprising an annular body open on one side to face the said article and defining an annular space, and a staff communicating with the in- -terior of said body and extending upwardly 6 from the body to ca therefrom. 7

7. Apparatus for reducing hard surfaces on massive and bulky articles, such as blast furnace bells or hoppers, comprising frame means for supporting such an article, means for rotating the article in position on said frame means, means including a welding head for depositing molten metal on one side of the article as it is rotated, means including a heating element having an annular portion to deliver heat to an annular portion of the article in the zone to receive said molten metal to bring that zone of the article to an elevated temperature and thereby facilitate bonding weld metal to the article, and heat shield means to cooperate with the article substantially to enclose said annular portion of the heating element and concentrate on said annular portion of the article heat de livered by said element.

FRANK H. J ANECEK.

oil and vent hot gases REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 685,975 Danziger et a1 Nov. 5, 1901 1,499,499 Bienenstok July 1, 1924 1,886,503 Shockey Nov. 8, 1932 1,925,383 Hickey Sept. 5, 1933 1,928,121 Anderson Sept. 26, 1933 2,077,277 Smith Apr. 13, 1937 2,229,405 Currier June 21, 1941 2,254,792 Brown Sept. 2, 1941 2,295,702 Wissler Sept. 15, 1942 2,427,350 Carpenter et al. Sept. 16, 1947 

